


Morning Has Broken

by Nova_Fearnewood



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Lazy Mornings, Love, Meant To Be, Non-Explicit Sex, Post-Shadows, Romance, Science Babies, Sharing a Bed, Sleepy Cuddles, Sleepy Kisses, Waking Up, cuteness, nothing graphic, post reunion, post s02ep01, very non-explicit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-12-27
Packaged: 2018-02-22 19:50:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2519723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nova_Fearnewood/pseuds/Nova_Fearnewood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just random chronological flashes into the nights and waking moments that Fitz and Simmons spend together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Dawn

On any normal day, Leo Fitz would have woken up in stages. 

Today he woke up early and completely in a matter of moments, then again, on normal days he didn't wake up with Jemma Simmons sleeping face down on top of him.

Her head and upper torso was on his chest and her legs were tangled up in his. Her arms were draped limply on either side of his head. Jemma's light brown hair was tousled and she snored occasionally.  In Leo's opinion, it looked like an awfully uncomfortable position to be in, but Jemma was sound asleep anyway. 

Leo watched her sleep and then lifted one of his hands to run his trembling fingers through her hair, his other hand coming to rest on her back.

He continued stroking her hair as she slept until she began to shiver, after all, she was only wearing a thin camisole and a pair of flannel pants and the Playground had bad insulation in the rooms, something that became very evident in the winter time, especially now that the land was covered in a blanket of snow just in time for Christmas.

He mentally chastised himself for not thinking about her needs and then grabbed the dark blue plaid comforter from where it was draped over their legs and pulled it up so that it rested on Jemma's shoulders. He would never be able to forgive himself if she caught pneumonia after they had made amends.

It had been nine tense weeks since her return and she had spent every day in the lab with him, pouring over the HYDRA experiments that she had saved on the hard drive that Bobbi Morse had stolen. They had grown back together in those weeks and Leo was starting to place almost all of his trust in her again. His memories were coming back in waves and his vocabulary was improving each day. The previous night had been an eventful one. He had remembered the time when he first came to grips with his feelings for Jemma; the moment when she stood on the edge of the cargo ramp and turned back to look at him before she almost plummeted to her death. Jemma had come to him an hour later after she had a night terror about HYDRA capturing her and torturing her to death for her loyalty to SHIELD.

He had confessed his rekindled feelings for her and she had finally said the four words he'd dreamed of hearing her say; _"I love you too."_.  They fell asleep together after having a long conversation about how their confession changed their relationship.

Jemma stirred and yawned before blinking up at Leo.

"Hello.", she yawned.

"Good morning.", he replied.

Jemma smiled at him and then did something that caught Leo completely off guard.

She pulled herself up his torso and brushed her lips over his before rolling onto her side and facing him.

Leo paused for a few seconds as his mind went blank before whispering, "C'mere love", pulling her closer, and kissing her back as his fingers wound their way into her hair.

They held each other like lovers did, kissing and whispering terms of endearment mixed with scattered promises and exploring hands.

Their kisses alternated between soft and light, slow and passionate, and hot and needy.

Leo discovered the sweetest sound on earth when he ran his tongue over Jemma's bottom lip while rolling his hips into hers, drawing a needy moan from Jemma.

Jemma shivered with excitement when she heard a growl escape Leo's throat in response to her kissing his neck.

Leo stopped kissing her to breathe and he placed his forehead against hers before rubbing noses.

An hour later, Jemma nuzzled into Leo's neck and sleep  claimed the two scientists who were now safe and warm in each other's arms.

 

  

 

 


	2. Forgive Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In any relationship, there will be ups and downs, good and bad times, and there will be lovers' quarrels every now and then. These things happen sometimes. Fitz and Simmons experience their first fight as a couple and Fitz sleeps on the sofa in the other room of the bunk (more like apartment) that he and Jemma share.

_"Well maybe I disagree, did you ever consider that?", Jemma yelled, "I can't believe that you actually used yourself as the human test for that experimental drug without even asking me! You could've gotten sick from it! You could've died, Leo! Did you remember anything from our lab safety course?!"_

_"But I didn't get sick, I didn't die, an' tha' drug works!", Leo replied, holding up his hands, "See, 'm not shakin' anymore, my motor skills are where they were before tha' accident. Jemma, 'm fine! Yer drug worked an' now 'm normal again!"_

_"But what if you have some adverse reaction to the nanobots that are imitating nervous cells to replace the damaged nerves? You could get cancer down the road or the nanobots could die off! Then what? What am I going to do?", Jemma cried._

_"You'll be fine... I'll be fine... It's not that big of a deal.", Leo replied._

_Jemma looked as though she'd just been slapped._

_"Not that big of a deal?!?!? Are you serious?", she threw up her hands in agitation, "You know what, I can't deal with this anymore. I give up! I have a massive headache and I'm going to bed...Here,", she tossed her lab report at him, "Read this to see if your symptoms match the ones in here, and while you're at it, maybe you can make a list of your physical reactions and so on, that way I can add to my data analysis."_

_Jemma slammed their bedroom door only to open it a second later and toss a heavy book at him._

_"Here, maybe you need to refresh your basic lab precautions, since you seem to have forgotten them!"_

_The book landed with a loud thud and Leo turned around. Now he was mad._

_"Oy! Wha' are ye'? Six years old? Yer a grown woman an' ye' don' throw things when ye' get in a pissy mood!", he yelled, "Yer gonna end up wakin' Lance or May an' then we'll never hear tha' end o' this!", He fumed._ _  
_

_Jemma slammed the bedroom door again and Leo settled himself on the sofa while mumbling empty words under his breath._

_He recorded his data and then fell asleep on the sofa._

_~~~~~~_

Jemma was mad at Leo, but she still hugged his pillow tight to her chest and cried herself to sleep. She hated fighting with him and hated it even more when she lashed out at him.

When morning came, she found herself in the middle of their bed and it was chilly without her Leo there to keep her warm. 

She hadn't acted like an adult last night, only acting out of frustration and fear.

She wanted him back with her.

With that thought in mind, she rolled out of bed and padded into the main room of their bunk where she found him sprawled out on the sofa in the clothes he was wearing the day before.

She sighed and crossed the room to jostle his shoulder lightly.

"Leo?", she asked softly.

He woke up and blinked up at her, his azure eyes raking up and down her body, reminding her that she hadn't dressed and was only wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of knickers.  _  
_

"Jem? Are ye' still mad at me?", he asked after a few beats of silence.

She shook her head.

"No... I'm not mad... I want to apologize for last night... I reacted in a very immature way. I'm sorry..."

"No, 'm sorry.", he replied, "I knew better than ta' test that drug on myself, I jus' wanted ta' be normal again... Ye' were right ta' throw a fit at me..."

They lapsed into silence again.

"Forgive me?", they asked in unison.

Jemma nodded and held out her hand as Leo took it and smiled at her. 

She led him back to their bedroom and slipped under the covers before patting his side of the bed.

"Jemma, I just woke up..."

"And you look like hell... I know you weren't remotely comfortable on that sofa...", she said softly, patting his side again, "So join me. It's a Sunday, so we're not expected to do anything. The lab work is already done... come to bed dear..."

Leo changed out of his clothes and rolled into bed in his boxers and undershirt. He spooned her beneath the comforter and pulled her closer.

"You've never called me dear before...", he murmured into her ear.

"Do you like it when I do?", she asked, snuggling back into his embrace.

"Of course I do, I love it best when ye' call me Leo though...", he replied, pressing a kiss into her hair.

"Mm okay Leo...", she said.

Leo felt the first tendrils of sleep claiming him and then his world was nothing but darkness, the feel of Jemma's warm body against his, the softness of their mattress, and the soothing smell of Jemma's floral shampoo. 

Soon Jemma knew her Leo was asleep as he unconsciously cuddled her closer.

Jemma whispered an "I love you" and was soon asleep too.

 

 

 

 

 


	3. February 15th

Jemma woke up in bed with Leo, just as she had for the past three months, but this time there was definitely something different about the way he held her.

They were laying on their sides facing each other in a close embrace with nothing separating them. He had her in his arms with their chests touching and their legs tangled together. She was so warm, protected from the cold of their room on all sides. Leo warmed her front, her back was pressed against the large bolster pillow that separated her from the cold brick wall and the downy comforter and flannel sheets contained the heat everywhere else. His right arm was tucked under the pillow they shared and his left arm was draped around her waist, his hand resting on the middle of her back. Her head was nestled in the crook of his neck and she couldn't help but inhale.

Leo always had a distinct scent that was a mix of his Burberry Brit cologne, tea, mint and a lingering trace of solder. There was something else  that Jemma could never describe, a scent that had no name other than Leo. 

She remembered the previous night, what they did in this very bed, and it had been beautiful.

For once, they hadn't been the careful scientists who favored guidance through logic and the thoughts within their heads over the driving force that was pure emotion and the insatiable, burning desires of their hearts. They let their hearts and bodies decide.

It had been their first time together and it hadn't been the way she'd fantasized about on countless occasions, and that was okay. 

It wasn't fast-paced and needy, it was slow and steady with passion rooted in the very core of their actions. Leo was a very gentle lover, he held her as if she was made of glass. She whispered his name like a prayer, moaning it when she reached her completion.

His voice was husky, his Scottish brogue sending a shiver down her spine when he murmured praises and promises between kisses.

When she met his gaze, her heart stopped. He looked at her in the way that told her quite clearly that she was the only woman for him, that he was willing to be hers and hers alone for the rest of his life.

She longed to see that look on his face again.

Jemma stretched up and sealed her lips to Leo's in a sensual "good morning" kiss.

She felt his arm tighten around her and then she felt him kissing her back.

They broke apart and there it was again, that look in his eyes that made her feel like she was the whole world to him.

He rubbed his nose against hers and whispered "Good morning Jemma..."

"Morning Leo..."

No words passed between them, but they spent a long time staring into each other's eyes, blue into light brown, his into hers, until Leo broke the silence.

"What we did last night... d'ye want ta do it again?", he asked softly.

Jemma kissed him in reply, whispering yes against his lips. 

Leo smiled and rolled over onto Jemma to resume their activities from the previous night.


	4. The Engineer's Vigil

This was all his fault. 

He should have insisted on going with Skye and Jemma to bug the HYDRA mainframe from one of their laboratories tucked back in the wilderness of Maine.

They had been successful, but the cost had been HYDRA using a new type of weapon on them. The weapon had bullets that raised the body temperature of whomever was shot to frightening, almost deadly heights and so both of them wandered for hours, hallucinating in their intense fevers until May was able to locate them.

Both of them were now in medically-induced comas so that their bodies could heal quicker but neither of them had been faring well. The chemical was still ravaging their bodies and the current outlook was anything but blue skies and smooth sailing.

Skye was in the room down the hall and Grant was there watching over her.

Leo had gone in to see how Grant had been holding up a few hours ago, only to find Grant holding Skye's hand and crying, quietly pleading with her to open her eyes and smile and begging God for forgiveness so that maybe He wouldn't punish him for all the bad things he'd done by taking Skye away. 

Seeing the normally stoic, newly redeemed agent break down over his comatose girlfriend was frightening, giving Fitz an entirely new thought to entertain. What if Jemma  _doesn't_ make it through this? 

Leo exited Skye's room and went back to Jemma's bedside, where he proceeded to pace. 

After a few minutes of pacing, he sat down in the chair and watched over her for hours as she healed.

He cried then, his tears dripping onto the blanket. He spoke to her as well, remembering vaguely the sound of her voice when he was in his coma, wondering if he had only dreamed that up or if it was possible to hear people while in a coma.

"Hey Jemma, I dunno if ye' can hear me but if ye' can, I want ye' ta know that I'm here. Can ye' try ta fight this? For me? I Know that this isn't my fault but I still can't help but feel guilty for what happened. Maybe if I hadn't gone out wit' the guys last week, I would have finished that new body armor in time for the mission, maybe then ye' would have been protected from those bullets."

He paused and sighed.

"I'd give anything just ta see ye' open your eyes an' tell me that you're okay... I love ye' Jemma... please come back ta me..."

The nurse came in to replace the saline IV drip with specific fluids infused with some of the nanobots (an invention that they had perfected since his own reckless lab experimentation) that would heal Jemma. This stuff was definitely not your run-of-the-mill saline drip. 

He kissed the back of her hand as the nurse turned up the heart rate monitor volume, explaining that Skye was beginning to wake up and that they would need her help over there but that a tech was in the stock room next door doing inventory and would be able to hear the monitor.

He nodded and laid his head down on the mattress while holding Jemma's hand and drifted off to sleep.

He was roused from his sleep in what felt like minutes after drifting off to the sound of a steady beep and bright sunlight blinding him. 

Jemma was flatlining and that sent a bolt of panic through him, causing him to jolt up and run to the door to yell for help.

"Leo wait!", a muffled voice called.

He stopped dead and spun around.

There was Jemma, shifting uncomfortably, but obviously alive.

"Jemma, how are ye'--", he began in shock before Jemma cut him off.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"What d'ye need?", he asked.

She pointed to the fingertip clip sensor for her heart rate monitor where it had fallen on the floor.

"It fell off and I clearly can't reach it."

 Leo sighed in relief and clipped the sensor back onto her finger.

"Why didn't ye' hit me in the head or something to wake me up?"

She replied, "I would have done that but you fell asleep on my hand and cut off the circulation and I can hardly move my other arm because of the IV line."

"Oh.", was his only reply, "Sorry about that."

She flexed her fingers and adjusted her oxygen mask.

"So what happened to me? All I can remember was bugging the lab and running with Skye, then a little pain in the back of my leg and then obnoxious bright colors, insane visions, and warped noises. Then everything went dark and quiet for a while until I heard you talking to me. Your voice drifted in and out and then I think I fell asleep."

Leo rehashed the events of the past 24 hours and then the nurse came to do a checkup and Leo left to give Jemma her privacy.

When Leo was called back into the room, Jemma was free of all the machines and drinking some water. 

They sat together and talked about everything from science to the new episode of Doctor Who. 

"You know, I think we've been too busy lately.", Jemma stated.

Leo looked at her.

"What d'ye suppose we do about fixing that?", he asked.

Jemma shrugged.

"SHIELD's got enough scientists here now, I doubt the organization will get turned on its head if we asked for a week off to go away and relax." 

Leo nodded.

"Where would we go?"

"I'm not sure. A week in a place that's warm and sunny sounds nice. Or maybe a spa resort in the mountains... oh, I don't know.", she sighed, "What do people with normal lives do when they go on holiday?"

Leo chuckled.

"You're asking the wrong man, I've never been normal a day in my life, although I hear that Hawaii is nice this time of year.", he replied, grinning when Jemma laughed.

"You're right, I suppose we aren't normal.", She sighed, "But Hawaii sounds lovely."

"I'll see about that week off if ye' can call the nurse an' find out how long it'll be before you're up an' about.", he said.

"Sounds like a plan." 

 

 


	5. Yes and No

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so hard to write without turning it into a FitzSimmons sexy fun time scene ;)

About three weeks later, Leo and Jemma were off on their holiday, their destination: Hawaii.

When their flight landed, they took a cab to their resort, got the keys to their beach house and immediately got changed and went to go for a swim in their pool. 

Jemma floated lazily on her back while Leo sat on the pool steps with only his lower half submerged, watching her with a smile on his face.

Seeing Jemma happy and relaxed was a rare sight to behold, especially these days when she seemed especially stressed.

"Jemma... 'm still a bit wary of water....", he reminded her when she asked if he wanted to race like they used to do back at the Academy. 

"Oh...", Jemma paddled over to Leo and stepped out of the water just enough to sit beside him on the steps.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, not minding in the slightest that as she rested her head on his shoulder, her hair was dripping all over him and running in cold rivulets down his back.

 She was here with him, that was all that mattered to him in that moment. The moment was soon ruined when Jemma shivered.

"C'mon, let's go get dried off... we can order some food up to the house and watch the sunset from our patio.", Leo suggested.

"I think that's a lovely idea.", Jemma said, taking Leo's hand and heading to the master bedroom to use the shower to wash off. Leo went and cleaned up in the smaller bathroom's shower.

When he returns to the master bedroom, he finds Jemma dressed in a dark blue satin dressing gown with her hair down. She's facing away from him and watching the sun dip down near the horizon. 

The ocean breeze blows and makes her gown and hair flutter in a surreal way. The sunset brings out her natural highlights and he's falling in love with her all over again.

He comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her waist, inhaling the scent of her shampoo while planting a soft kiss on the sensitive skin just below her ear.

She turns around in his arms and gives him this look that makes his heart melt, as if there is nobody else on the face of the earth but the two of them and Leo is just fine with that.

The moment was ruined when Leo's stomach growled.

"While you were in the shower, the food arrived...", Jemma murmured, taking a step out onto the patio.

"What did ye' order?", he asked, following her.

Jemma shrugged. 

"Hawaiian pizza... you know, with ham and pineapple.... I wanted to try  spam musubi, which is like sushi only with spam replacing the fish. so I ordered some of that..."

"Well I like the pizza but ye' know how I am with the new foods we try... "

"Skeptical, yeah, I know... Don't worry... All the food has been cooked thoroughly... no raw poke bowls here..." 

He sat down next to Jemma and watched, mesmerized as she reclined on her chaise lounge and sipped her fruity drink.

The blue satin fell over her body in the most appealing way and it took his stomach growling a second time to bring him back to reality.

He grabbed a slice of pizza and began eating.

"So...", he began after devouring the first slice, "what are we going to do tomorrow?"

"We could go sightseeing... I've always wanted to see the Pearl Harbor memorial."

"That sounds good..."

"I can book us a day at the spa..."

"Mmm that sounds relaxing but I don't know if that's really my idea of a good time..."

"We could go to a luau.", Jemma suggested.

Leo perked up.

"I like the sound of that... We could also go hiking up to see a volcano... I wouldn't mind a day at the beach... we don't even have to go into the water there..."

They cleared the plates and  then went back outside to watch the last colors of the sunset paint the sky and then Jemma turned on the pool lights while Leo lit the tikki torches to keep the mosquitoes at bay. 

"Jemma it's really beautiful out here...", he sighed as he looked up at the stars. 

He glanced at Jemma and found her looking up at the sky too.

"What do ye' want to do tonight?", he asked after what seemed like an eternity of watching the night sky.

Jemma didn't reply, she stood up and slid in next to him on the reclining chaise lounge, resting her head on his chest.

"Well...", she began, "We could do a few things. We could lay out here for the rest of the night, although the mosquitoes are pretty persistent. We could go inside and play a card game in the living room. Or...", she trailed off.

"Or what?", Leo asked.

"Or...", she lowered her voice to an alluring whisper, "I could show you what I was wearing under this robe."

Leo's mind blanked as Jemma winked at him and stood up. She trailed her fingertips over the lapels of the robe and drifted them down to the sash.

"Your choice Leo...", she murmured.

He sat up and cleared his throat.

"What will happen if I choose option three?", he asked.

Jemma smiled seductively and for a fleeting second, Leo had an idea of how male spiders must feel just before they decide to mate with a female that would quite literally devour them.

She replied in a voice as smooth and silky as the fabric of the gown she was teasing him with.

"Well, first I'd untie the robe, then let it slowly fall off of my shoulders. Next, I'd enjoy looking at your reaction for a few seconds, but then I'd give you a few more options for things we could do to keep ourselves busy...", she paused, "And I have a lot of  _games_ for you to choose from..."

Leo made up his mind.

Two could play at this game. 

He gave her his best Cheshire cat grin and lowered his eyelids before crawling slowly to the end of the chaise lounge. He knew what type of trashy romance novels she kept in the bottom drawer of her nightstand and all of them featured a brawny, muscle-bound Scotsman with a dark accent.

Even if he lacked the muscle definition, he could certainly manage the cadence of his own voice.

"Oh, but ye' see lass, the problem wit' that idea is that sometimes men get a little tired of playin' so many games...", he murmured in a deeper version of his usual brogue.

He saw Jemma blush and her hands falter at the sash of her robe. 

Jemma raised an eyebrow and replied, 

"Then what would you rather do to pass the time?"

 Leo stood up and for once, their slight height difference seemed to make a world of difference and he gazed down at her.

"I'd rather choose option three an' then show ye' my reaction...", Leo leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I guarantee you'll forget about playin' games then..."

Jemma let out a whimper as he fleetingly grazed his lips over her earlobe.

"What's under the robe?", Leo asked.

She stepped back and bit her lip as she untied the sash on the robe and let it slip off of her body.

"Something for your eyes only..."

Leo was glad that they were at their own private resort house when Jemma's gown was on the ground.

Not a stitch of clothing was covering her body, and while Leo had seen Jemma naked before, it was never like this because she had always been pretty modest.

Her pale skin glowed in the flickering light of the torches and he noticed how she was blushing.

"Well? What do you think.", Jemma asked, and Leo noticed that she was still quite shy about her body.

"You're beautiful...You're beautiful just the way ye' are.", he murmured, closing the distance and covering her body with his as he wrapped her in a hug.

They kissed passionately, stopping only to put out the torches and turn off the lights before they stumbled back into their bedroom and made love.

At the end of it all, Leo thought to himself,  _"Oh Lord, Jemma... Marry me..."_ and that happened to be the last thing that went through his exhausted brain before he fell asleep next to Jemma. 

The next morning, Leo was met with an empty bed and Jemma pacing nervously at the end of the bed in a t shirt and a pair of shorts.

"Good morning...", he said, stretching.

Jemma sat down on the end of their bed and faced him with a serious face.

"Leo, before you say anything, I just want to know if what you said to me last night was really what you wanted me to hear."

Leo yawned again and racked his brain, recalling all that he had said to her last night.

"Yeah. 'Course...", he replied, "Why else would I tell ye' that you're beautiful?"

Jemma's face was a mixture of excitement and pure happiness which melted into skepticism and confusion.

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did ye' mean?"

Jemma shook her head.

"You don't remember saying to me last night, and I quote, "Oh Lord, Jemma... Marry me..."?"

Leo's eyes went wide.

"I said that  _out loud_?"

Jemma nodded.

"Did you mean it?"

Leo scratched the back of his neck.

"Well, yes and no."

"Please elaborate."

"Well, I  _do_ want to... to um... marry you... but I don't think it's a wise decision right now at this stage in our relationship...", he paused and Jemma nodded, "So yes, I do want to, but no, not right away..."

"I see...", she replied. 

"Uh, Jemma?", he asked.

"Yes Leo?"

"Would you...I mean if I were to, uh, you know,  _ask_ you for real... What would you say?"

"Right now? I'd say no. If we gave it some time and then you asked me, I'd say yes."

"Sooo, sometime in the future we will most likely get..."

"Married? Yes.", Jemma finished for him.

Leo sat there in silence with Jemma for a moment until he broke it.

"Well, I can't wait for that day to come..."

Jemma leaned over and kissed him on the lips.

"Neither can I..."

 

 


	6. In Sickness and In Health

Leo woke up one morning about a month or so after they returned from Hawaii to an empty bed. 

He looked over at the beeping alarm clock on his nightstand and saw that Jemma had let him sleep in for an hour and then drowsily remembered her mentioning that she had a lot of work to do and that she'd be starting early.

He turned off the alarm clock and swung his legs out of bed before sitting up and sighing.

Saying that he felt like shit would be the understatement of a lifetime.

His head was feeling heavy, his sinuses were congested, his whole body felt weak and achy, he felt like he was breaking out in a cold sweat, and he had a nasty cough.

If he hadn't been so stubborn, he would've just got back under the covers and called in sick, but he had a ton of work to get done and he didn't feel like falling behind with only two other (less experienced) engineers to fill in for him.

He had been lucky while he was on holiday with Jemma and the other engineers didn't mess anything up but now that he was back, Coulson had trusted him with something that the other engineers weren't quite able to work with, mainly because they had never dealt with alien technology. It was up to him to figure out how the alien object functioned and if it was a threat because Grant Ward had told them that HYDRA had an identical object and that he thought that the objects were meant to be together as a pair. If one was a threat, so was the other and if they were a pair then that meant HYDRA would be coming to get the other half.

Leo dragged himself out of bed and shuffled over to the bathroom, hoping that a shower would make him feel better. 

It didn't do much good. 

He got dressed and didn't bother with a tie, that was the last thing he wanted to wrestle with at the moment.

He didn't bother with tea because Jemma would have her thermos full of Earl Grey with her and he would just help himself to some once he got to the lab.

When he entered the lab, he went right to his desk without being noticed and and he wasn't there for more than a moment when Jemma came over to him.

"Good morning Leo.", she said a little too brightly and kissed him on the top of his head. 

"'Morning.", he grumbled out in response, not meeting her gaze.

"Oh dear...", she sighed, a disappointed note becoming evident in her voice, "Look at me."

He complied, looking up at his girlfriend who frowned at him.

"Oh Leo...you look dreadful...", she sighed as she placed a hand on his forehead.

He closed his eyes at the sensation of her cool hand on his forehead and mumbled, "Thanks for bein' honest, but d'ye have to be so blunt?"

Jemma didn't answer his question.

"Come on. You aren't going to contaminate everything and everyone in here with your germs... I won't allow it.", she muttered, pulling him by the hand as he sniffled, "You probably have the flu and you're burning up... Dr. Reuben, can you tell the others that I'm taking the day off?"

Dr. Reuben nodded as she looked up from her microscope.

 "You aren't takin' me to the medical bay.", he said in a tired voice as she led him out of the lab and down the hall in the direction of the medical bay, "I don't want to be quarantined..."

"Nonsense, you won't be quarantined... I'm just taking you over there so the nurse can look you over and make sure that this is just a case of the flu and not something more serious.", Jemma replied.

Soon Leo found himself in an exam room and a nurse practitioner was looking him over and asking about his symptoms.

The nurse practitioner told him that he just had a case of the flu and that it was nothing serious, wrote him a prescription for Oseltamivir INN and sent him across the hall to get it filled.

 

Once he had his pills, Jemma escorted him back to their bunk, made him put on his pajamas, fixed him something to eat, and then told him to get some sleep.

When Jemma was sure that Leo was asleep, she ran out to get some Gatorade from the refrigerator outside of the gym.

Skye walked out of the women's locker room and greeted her.

"Hey Simmons, I didn't see you in there on the treadmill today,", the hacker-turned-agent nodded towards the gym doors, "Were you in the studio doing yoga today?"

"No, I didn't work out at all today, I'm getting something for Fitz... poor thing has the flu and he's a sorry sight..."

"I suppose he'll need those electrolytes then...", Skye said as she pulled a Gatorade out for herself, cracked the seal, and took a long drink from it before asking, "Are you taking care of him?"

 Jemma nodded.

"I took the day off just to look after him...", she sighed, "He's sleeping right now."

Skye sat down on one of the benches and patted the space next to her. 

Jemma walked over and sat next to the younger woman.

"I don't mean to pry or anything, but I've been wondering, do you always do this when he gets sick?", Skye asked in a low voice.

"Well, yes... I suppose you heard how he didn't leave my side after the mission."

"I did... Grant didn't leave my side either and he pretty much cried the whole time while I was in that coma."

"Leo did too, but we've always done this for each other. When I'm sick, he takes care of me and when he's sick, I take care of him. That's how it's always been.", Jemma replied.

Skye smiled and murmured,

"In sickness and in health... you two really live up to those vows..."

"What do you mean?", Jemma asked, memories from Leo's accidental proposal drifting back to her.

Skye sighed.

"I know you aren't married or anything, but you certainly do act like it... You support each other in good times and in bad, you help each other in sickness and in health, money is nothing to you two as long as you have each other so there's the part about richer or poorer... and you guys love each other so much, it's incredible."

"You noticed all of that?", Jemma asked.

"I'm pretty observant now...", Skye shrugged, "But yeah, I did notice that my best girl friend is practically married to her boyfriend."

When Skye said that Jemma was practically married to Leo, Jemma's stomach flip-flopped.

"Can we change the subject? How is Bobbi's mission going? She hasn't checked in recently.", Jemma asked quickly.

Skye grinned like the cat that caught the canary.

"Oh no... You are not getting off the hook that easy... I know you too well, Jemma Simmons, and you've been avoiding the topic of marriage like the plague. I already know you and Fitz have been getting it in since Valentine's Day and I'd bet my whole salary that things got pretty freaky in Hawaii, but the thing is that you came back and you acted totally different when I asked about your dream wedding...Before Hawaii it was all details and after it was just a change in topic... Go on, spill."

Jemma sighed.

"Alright fine, I'll tell you, but you have to keep this a secret. Fitz can't know that I told you this. You can't tell a soul. Promise?"

"I promise, just whisper it in my ear." 

Jemma leaned forward and whispered into Skye's ear.

"Well, on the first night, Leo and I did have sex--"

"Was it good?", Skye whispered, cutting her off.

"Do you want to know or not?", Jemma hissed.

"Fine, fine...go on..."

"Anyway, after we had sex, Leo was drifting off and he said, and I quote,  _"Oh Lord, Jemma...Marry me..."_ ."

Skye coughed on her Gatorade.

"He said that?", she asked incredulously.

Jemma nodded and resumed whispering.

"So I asked him about it in the morning and he said that he didn't mean to say it out loud and then I asked him if he meant it and he said  _"yes and no"_."

"Okay..."

"He meant that eventually he would want me to marry him but that he wouldn't bother asking right now because our romantic relationship has only just begun."

"Makes sense. Do you agree?", Skye asked.

"Of course, and then he asked if this meant we would most likely be married in the future and I said yes, then he said he couldn't wait for that day to come and I said that I couldn't wait either. That's all that happened."

"Aww. That's so sweet. Now are you afraid of what may happen between now and then, is that why you're avoiding the topic?", Skye asked, accurately guessing the truth.

Jemma nodded.

"I just don't want to let him down a second time.", she replied.

"That's understandable, but I'm sure you'll be fine.", Skye said as her phone rang and she answered it, hanging up an instant later, "It's Coulson, I gotta go, but good luck with Fitz, tell him that I said to get well soon.", Skye said before walking away.

Jemma sighed and went back to the bunk, Skye's words lingering in her head.

She was afraid of messing up again and letting Leo down but she was going to do her best this time.

She sank down in a chair by the bed where Leo was sleeping soundly and looked at her left hand, imagining a wedding ring on her finger.

She looked at Leo.

Would they want children?

She was sure they would, so she got up and went to the closet mirror.

What would she look like if she was pregnant?

She studied her petite profile and then arched her back so her belly stuck out a little.

Well, that would be what she would look like early on in her pregnancy.

She grabbed her jumper and balled it up, shoving it up the front of her blouse as she arched her back again.

The look was highly inaccurate but it served its purpose.

She looked down at the lumpy front of her blouse and wondered what it would be like if she was carrying Leo's child and then what their child would look like.

She imagined a little boy with her hair and Leo's blue eyes and then a little girl who had Leo's hair and eyes. Different genetic possibilities appeared at the foreground of her mind. Maybe their child would resemble _their_  parents? 

Just then, Leo stirred and Jemma whipped her jumper out from beneath her blouse.

"Jem?", Leo groaned and Jemma went to his side with a bottle of Gatorade.

"I'm here... sit up and drink this...", She instructed.

Leo did as he was told and took careful sips.

"Why d'ye always do this for me?", he asked a few minutes later.

"Well, I do it because I love you and this is a part of my commitment to you.", she replied.

He smiled drowsily.

"Thank you for takin' care of me... I'm a real stubborn git... I'm sorry I contaminated the lab...", he said.

"Oh, never mind that, I know how stubborn you can be. Just make sure you stay in bed next time and call me, yeah?"

"Yeah...", he sighed, sipping his Gatorade, "I love ye'..."

Jemma smiled and kissed him on his forehead.

"Love you too, now drink up." 

"Yes Dr. Simmons.", he murmured.

"Oh hush.", she mock scolded, and Leo smiled. 

 

 

 


End file.
